top Diognetus

Chapter 1

1 Ἐπειδὴ ὁρῶ, κράτιστε Διόγνητε, ὑπερεσπουδακότα θεοσέβειαν Χριστιανῶν μαθεῖν πάνυ σαφῶς ἐπιμελῶς πυνθανόμενον , τίνι πεποιθότες πῶς θρησκεύοντες αὐτὸν τόν κόσμον ὑπερορῶσι πάντες θανάτου καταφρονοῦσι οὔτε νομιζομένους Ἑλλήνων θεοὺς λογίζονται οὔτε Ἰουδαίων δεισιδαιμονίαν φυλάσσουσι, τίνα φιλοστοργίαν ἔχουσι , τί δή καινὸν γένος ἐπιτήδευμα εἰσῆλθεν βίον πρότερον· Since I see, most excellent Diognetus, that you are exceedingly anxious to understand the religion of the Christians, and that your enquiries respecting them are distinctly and carefully made, as to what God they trust and how they worship Him, that they all disregard the world and despise death, and take no account of those who are regarded as gods by the Greeks, neither observe the superstition of the Jews, and as to the nature of the affection which they entertain one to another, and of this new development or interest, which has entered into men's lives now and not before:
2 ἀποδέχομαί γε προθυμίας ταύτης , ἀκούειν χορηγοῦντος, αἰτοῦμαι δοθῆναι ἐμοὶ εἰπεῖν οὕτως, ἀκούσαντά βελτίω γενέσθαι, Σοὶ οὕτως ἀκοῦσαι, λυπηθῆναι εἰπόντα. I gladly welcome this zeal in you, and I ask of God, Who supplies both the speaking and the hearing to us, that it may be granted to myself to speak in such a way that you may be made better by the hearing, and to you that you may so listen that I the speaker may not be disappointed.

Chapter 2

1 Ἄγε δή, καθάρας πάντων προκατεχόντων διάνοιαν λογισμῶν ἀπατῶσάν συνήθειαν ἀποσκευασάμενος γενόμενος ὥσπερ ἀρχῆς καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, ἂν καινοῦ, καθάπερ αὐτὸς ὡμολόγησας, ἀκροατὴς ἐσόμενος· ἴδε μόνον ὀφθαλμοῖς, φρονήσει, τίνος ὑποστάσεως τίνος εἴδους τυγχάνουσιν, οὓς ἐρεῖτε νομίζετε θεούς. Come then, clear yourself of all the prepossessions which occupy your mind, and throw off the habit which leads you astray, and become a new man, as it were, from the beginning, as one who would listen to a new story, even as you yourself did confess. See not only with your eyes, but with your intellect also, of what substance or of what form they chance to be whom you call and regard as gods.
2  λίθος , ὅμοιος πατουμένῳ, δ᾿ ἐστὶ χαλκός, κρείσσων χρῆσιν κεχαλκευμένων σκευῶν, ξύλον, ἤδη σεσηπός, ἄργυρος, χρῄζων ἀνθρώπου φυλάξαντος, κλαπῇ, σίδηρος, ἰοῦ διεφθαρμένος, ὄστρακον, κατεσκευασμένου ἀτιμοτάτην ὑπηρεσίαν εὐπρεπέστερον; Is not one of them stone, like that which we tread under foot, and another bronze, no better than the vessels which are forged for our use, and another wood, which has already become rotten, and another silver, which needs a man to guard it lest it be stolen, and another iron, which is corroded with rust, and another earthenware, not a whit more comely than that which is supplied for the most dishonourable service?
3  φθαρτῆς ὕλης ταῦτα πάντα; σιδήρου πυρὸς κεχαλκευμένα; λιθοξόος, χαλκεύς, ἀργυροκόπος, κεραμεὺς ἔπλασεν; πρὶν ταῖς τέχναις μορφὴν ἐκτυπωθῆναι, ἦν ἕκαστον ἑκάστῳ, ἔτι , μεταμεμορφωμένον; αὐτῆς ὕλης σκεύη γένοιτ᾿ , εἰ τύχοι τεχνιτῶν, ὅμοια τοιούτοις; Are not all these of perishable matter? Are they not forged by iron and fire? Did not the sculptor make one, and the brass-founder another, and the silversmith another, and the potter another? Before they were moulded into this shape by the crafts of these several artificers, was it not possible for each one of them to have been changed in form and made to resemble these several utensils? Might not the vessels which are now made out of the same material, if they met with the same artificers, be made like unto such as these?
4  ταῦτα πάλιν, ὑφ᾿ προσκυνούμενα, δύναιτ᾿ ἂν σκεύη ὅμοια γενέσθαι λοιποῖς; κωφὰ πάντα; τυφλά; ἄψυχα; ἀναίσθητα; ἀκίνητα; σηπόμενα; φθειρόμενα; Could not these things which are now worshipped by you, by human hands again be made vessels like the rest? Are not they all deaf and blind, are they not soul-less, senseless, motionless? Do they not all rot and decay?
5 ταῦτα θεοὺς καλεῖτε; τούτοις δουλεύετε; τούτοις προσκυνεῖτε, τέλεον δ᾿ ἐξομοιοῦσθε. These things you call gods, to these you are slaves, these you worship; and you end by becoming altogether like unto them.
6  μισεῖτε Χριστιανούς, τούτους ἡγοῦνται θεούς; Therefore you hate the Christians, because they do not consider these to be gods.
7  αἰνεῖν νομίζοντες οἰόμενοι, πολὺ πλέον καταφρονεῖτε; πολὺ μᾶλλον χλευάζετε ὑβρίζετε, λιθίνους ὀστρακίνους σέβοντες ἀφυλάκτους, ἀργυρέους χρυσοῦς ἐγκλείοντες ταῖς νυξί, ταῖς ἡμέραις φύλακας παρακαθιστάντες, κλαπῶσιν; For do not you yourselves, who now regard and worship them, much more despise them? Do you not much rather mock and insult them, worshipping those who are of stone and earthenware unguarded, but shutting up those who are of silver and gold by night, and setting guards over them by day, to prevent their being stolen?
8 αἷς δοκεῖτε τιμαῖς προσφέρειν, εἰ αἰσθάνονται, κολάζετε μᾶλλον αὐτούς· εἰ ἀναισθητοῦσιν, ἐλέγχοντες αἵματι κνίσαις θρησκεύετε. And as for the honours which you think to offer to them, if they are sensible of them, you rather punish them thereby, whereas, if they are insensible, you reproach them by propitiating them with the blood and fat of victims.
9 ταῦθ᾿ ὑμῶν ὑπομεινάτω, ταῦτα ἀνασχέσθω γενέσθαι. ἄνθρωπος οὐδὲ εἷς ταύτης κολάσεως ἑκὼν ἀνέξεται, αἴσθησιν ἔχει λογισμόν· λίθος ἀνέχεται, ἀναισθητεῖ . αἴσθησιν ἐλέγχετε; Let one of yourselves undergo this treatment, let him submit to these things being done to him. No, not so much as a single individual will willingly submit to such punishment, for he has sensibility and reason; but a stone submits, because it is insensible. Therefore you convict his sensibility.
10  δεδουλῶσθαι Χριστιανοὺς τοιούτοις θεοῖς ἂν ἄλλα εἰπεῖν ἔχοιμι· εἰ δέ τινι δοκοίη κἂν ταῦτα ἱκανά, περισσὸν ἡγοῦμαι πλείω . Well, I could say much besides concerning the Christians not being enslaved to such gods as these; but if any one should think what has been said insufficient, I hold it superfluous to say more.

Chapter 3

1 Ἑξῆς αὐτὰ θεοσεβεῖν οἶμαί ποθεῖν ἀκοῦσαι. In the next place, I fancy that you are chiefly anxious to hear about their not practising their religion in the same way as the Jews.
2  τοίνυν, εἰ ἀπέχονται ταύτης προειρημένης λατρείας, καλῶς ἕνα πάντων σέβειν δεσπότην ἀξιοῦσι · εἰ προειρημένοις ὁμοιοτρόπως θρησκείαν προσάγουσιν ταύτην, διαμαρτάνουσιν. The Jews then, so far as they abstain from the mode of worship described above, do well in claiming to reverence one God of the universe and to regard Him as Master; but so far as they offer Him this worship in methods similar to those already mentioned, they are altogether at fault.
3  ἀναισθήτοις κωφοῖς προσφέροντες ἀφροσύνης δεῖγμα παρέχουσι, ταῦθ᾿ οὗτοι καθάπερ προσδεομένῳ λογιζόμενοι παρέχειν εἰκὸς μᾶλλον ἡγοῖντ᾿ , θεοσέβειαν. For whereas the Greeks, by offering these things to senseless and deaf images, make an exhibition of stupidity, the Jews considering that they are presenting them to God, as if He were in need of them, ought in all reason to count it folly and not religious worship.
4  ποιήσας οὐρανὸν γῆν χορηγῶν, προσδεόμεθα, οὐδενὸς ἂν αὐτὸς προσδέοιτο οἰομένοις διδόναι παρέχει αὐτός. For He that made the heaven and the earth and all things that are therein, and furnishes us all with what we need, cannot Himself need any of these things which He Himself supplies to them who imagine they are giving them to Him.
5  δέ γε θυσίας αἵματος κνίσης ὁλοκαυτωμάτων ἐπιτελεῖν οἰόμενοι ταύταις ταῖς τιμαῖς αὐτὸν γεραίρειν, οὐδέν δοκοῦσι διαφέρειν κωφὰ ἐνδεικνυμένων φιλοτιμίαν· δυναμένοις τιμῆς μεταλαμβάνειν, δοκούντων παρέχειν μηδενὸς προσδεομένῳ. But those who think to perform sacrifices to Him with blood and fat and whole burnt offerings, and to honour Him with such honours, seem to me in no way different from those who show the same respect toward deaf images; for the one class think fit to make offerings to things unable to participate in the honour, the other class to One Who is in need of nothing.

Chapter 4

1 Ἀλλὰ μὴν τό γε βρώσεις ψοφοδεὲς σάββατα δεισιδαιμονίαν ἀλαζονείαν νηστείας νουμηνίας εἰρωνείαν, καταγέλαστα οὐδενὸς ἄξια λόγου, νομίζω χρῄζειν παρ᾿ μαθεῖν. But again their scruples concerning meats, and their superstition relating to the sabbath and the vanity of their circumcision and the dissimulation of their fasting and new moons, I do [not] suppose you need to learn from me, are ridiculous and unworthy of any consideration.
2  κτισθέντων χρῆσιν μὲν καλῶς κτισθέντα παραδέχεσθαι, δ᾿ ἄχρηστα περισσὰ παραιτεῖσθαι, πῶς ἀθέμιστον; For of the things created by God for the use of man to receive some as created well, but to decline others as useless and superfluous, is not this impious?
3  καταψεύδεσθαι κωλύοντος σαββάτων καλόν τι ποιεῖν, πῶς ἀσεβές; And again to lie against God, as if He forbad us to do any good thing on the sabbath day, is not this profane?
4  μείωσιν σαρκὸς ἐκλογῆς ἀλαζονεύεσθαι ἐξαιρέτως ἠγαπημένους , πῶς χλεύης ἄξιον; Again, to vaunt the mutilation of the flesh as a token of election as though for this reason they were particularly beloved by God, is not this ridiculous?
5  παρεδρεύοντας ἄστροις σελήνῃ παρατήρησιν μηνῶν ἡμερῶν ποιεῖσθαι οἰκονομίας καιρῶν ἀλλαγὰς καταδιαιρεῖν ὁρμάς, ἃς ἑορτάς, ἃς πένθη· ἂν θεοσεβείας ἀφροσύνης πολὺ πλέον ἡγήσαιτο δεῖγμα; And to watch the stars and the moon and to keep the observance of months and of days, and to distinguish the arrangements of God and the changes of the seasons according to their own impulses, making some into festivals and others into times of mourning, who would regard this as an exhibition of godliness and not much more of folly?
6  κοινῆς εἰκαιότητος ἀπάτης Ἰουδαίων πολυπραγμοσύνης ἀλαζονείας ὀρθῶς ἀπέχονται Χριστιανοί, ἀρκούντως νομίζω μεμαθηκέναι· ἰδίας θεοσεβείας μυστήριον προσδοκήσῃς δύνασθαι ἀνθρώπου μαθεῖν. That the Christians are right therefore in holding aloof from the common silliness and error of the Jews and from their excessive fussiness and pride, I consider that you had been sufficiently instructed; but as regards the mystery of their own religion, expect not that you can be instructed by man.

Chapter 5

1 Χριστιανοὶ οὔτε γῇ οὔτε φωνῇ οὔτε ἔθεσι διακεκριμένοι λοιπῶν . For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in customs.
2 οὔτε που πόλεις ἰδίας κατοικοῦσιν οὔτε διαλέκτῳ τινὶ παρηλλαγμένῃ χρῶνται οὔτε βίον παράσημον ἀσκοῦσιν. For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their own, neither do they use some different language, nor practise an extraordinary kind of life.
3  μὴν ἐπινοίᾳ τινὶ φροντίδι πολυπραγμόνων μάθημα τοῦτ᾿ εὑρημένον, οὐδὲ δόγματος ἀνθρωπίνου προεστᾶσιν, ὥσπερ ἔνιοι. Nor again do they possess any invention discovered by any intelligence or study of ingenious men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some are.
4 κατοικοῦντες πόλεις Ἑλληνίδας βαρβάρους, ἐκληρώθη, ἐγχωρίοις ἔθεσιν ἀκολουθοῦντες ἔν ἐσθῆτι διαίτῃ λοιπῷ βίῳ θαυμαστὴν ὁμολογουμένως παράδοξον ἐνδείκνυνται κατάστασιν πολιτείας. But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and barbarians as the lot of each is cast, and follow the native customs in dress and food and the other arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their own citizenship, which they set forth, is marvellous, and confessedly contradicts expectation.
5 πατρίδας οἰκοῦσιν ἰδίας, πάροικοι· μετέχουσι πάντων πολῖται, πάνθ᾿ ὑπομένουσιν ξένοι· ξένη πατρίς , πατρὶς ξένη. They dwell in their own countries, but only as sojourners; they bear their share in all things as citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers. Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and every fatherland is foreign.
6 γαμοῦσιν πάντες, τεκνογονοῦσιν· ῥίπτουσι γεννώμενα. They marry like all other men and they beget children; but they do not cast away their offspring.
7 τράπεζαν παρατίθενται, κοίτην. They have their meals in common, but not their wives.
8  σαρκὶ τυγχάνουσιν, ζῶσιν. They find themselves in the flesh, and yet they live not after the flesh.
9  γῆς διατρίβουσιν, οὐρανῷ πολιτεύονται. Their existence is on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven.
10 πείθονται ὡρισμένοις νόμοις, , βίοις νικῶσι νόμους. They obey the established laws, and they surpass the laws in their own lives.
11 ἀγαπῶσι πάντας, πάντων διώκονται. They love all men, and they are persecuted by all.
12 ἀγνοοῦνται, κατακρίνονται· θανατοῦνται, ζωοποιοῦνται. They are ignored, and yet they are condemned. They are put to death, and yet they are endued with life.
13 πτωχεύουσι, πλουτίζουσι πολλούς· πάντων ὑστεροῦνται, πᾶσι περισσεύουσιν. They are in beggary, and yet they make many rich. They are in want of all things, and yet they abound in all things.
14 ἀτιμοῦνται, ταῖς ἀτιμίαις δοξάζονται. βλασφημοῦνται, δικαιοῦνται. They are dishonoured, and yet they are glorified in their dishonour. They are evil spoken of, and yet they are vindicated.
15 λοιδοροῦνται, εὐλογοῦσιν· ὑβρίζονται, τιμῶσιν. They are reviled, and they bless; they are insulted, and they respect.
16 ἀγαθοποιοῦντες κακοὶ κολάζονται· κολαζόμενοι χαίρουσιν ζωοποιούμενοι. Doing good they are punished as evil-doers; being punished they rejoice, as if they were thereby quickened by life.
17  Ἰουδαίων ἀλλόφυλοι πολεμοῦνται Ἑλλήνων διώκονται· ἔχθρας εἰπεῖν ἔχουσιν. War is waged against them as aliens by the Jews, and persecution is carried on against them by the Greeks, and yet those who hate them cannot tell the reason of their hostility.

Chapter 6

1 Ἁπλῶς δ᾿ εἰπεῖν, ὅπερ σώματι ψυχή, τοῦτ᾿ κόσμῳ Χριστιανοί. In a word, what the soul is in a body, this the Christians are in the world.
2 ἔσπαρται πάντων σώματος μελῶν ψυχή, Χριστιανοὶ πόλεις. The soul is spread through all the members of the body, and Christians through the divers cities of the world.
3 οἰκεῖ σώματι ψυχή, ἔστι σώματος· Χριστιανοὶ κόσμῳ οἰκοῦσιν, κόσμου. The soul has its abode in the body, and yet it is not of the body. So Christians have their abode in the world, and yet they are not of the world.
4 ἀόρατος ψυχὴ ὁρατῷ φρουρεῖται σώματι· Χριστιανοὶ γινώσκονται μὲν κόσμῳ, ἀόρατος θεοσέβεια μένει. The soul which is invisible is guarded in the body which is visible: so Christians are recognised as being in the world, and yet their religion remains invisible.
5 μισεῖ ψυχὴν πολεμεῖ ἀδικουμένη, διότι ταῖς κωλύεται χρῆσθαι· μισεῖ Χριστιανοὺς ἀδικούμενος, ταῖς ἀντιτάσσονται. The flesh hates the soul and wages war with it, though it receives no wrong, because it is forbidden to indulge in pleasures; so the world hates Christians, though it receives no wrong from them, because they set themselves against its pleasures.
6  ψυχὴ μισοῦσαν ἀγαπᾷ μέλη· Χριστιανοὶ μισοῦντας ἀγαπῶσιν. The soul loves the flesh which hates it, and the members: so Christians love those who hate them.
7 ἐγκέκλεισται ψυχὴ σώματι, συνέχει αὐτὴ σῶμα· Χριστιανοὶ κατέχονται φρουρᾷ κόσμῳ, αὐτοὶ συνέχουσι κόσμον. The soul is enclosed in the body, and yet itself holds the body together; so Christians are kept in the world as in a prison-house, and yet they themselves hold the world together.
8 ἀθάνατος ψυχὴ θνητῷ σκηνώματι κατοικεῖ· Χριστιανοὶ παροικοῦσιν φθαρτοῖς, οὐρανοῖς ἀφθαρσίαν προσδεχόμενοι. The soul though itself immortal dwells in a mortal tabernacle; so Christians sojourn amidst perishable things, while they look for the imperishability which is in the heavens.
9 κακουργουμένη σιτίοις ποτοῖς ψυχὴ βελτιοῦται· Χριστιανοὶ κολαζόμενοι καθ᾿ ἡμέραν πλεονάζουσι μᾶλλον. The soul when hardly treated in the matter of meats and drinks is improved; and so Christians when punished increase more and more daily.
10  τοσαύτην τάξιν ἔθετο , θεμιτὸν παραιτήσασθαι. So great is the office for which God has appointed them, and which it is not lawful for them to decline.

Chapter 7

1 Οὐ ἐπίγειον, ἔφην, εὕρημα τοῦτ᾿ παρεδόθη, οὐδὲ θνητὴν ἐπίνοιαν φυλάσσειν οὕτως ἀξιοῦσιν ἐπιμελῶς, οὐδὲ ἀνθρωπίνων οἰκονομίαν μυστηρίων πεπίστευνται. For it is no earthly discovery, as I said, which was committed to them, neither do they care to guard so carefully any mortal invention, nor have they entrusted to them the dispensation of human mysteries.
2  αὐτὸς ἀληθῶς παντοκράτωρ παντοκτίστης ἀόρατος , αὐτὸς οὐρανῶν ἅγιον ἀπερινόητον ἐνίδρυσε ἐγκατεστήριξε ταῖς καρδίαις · , καθάπερ εἰκάσειεν, ὑπηρέτην τινὰ πέμψας ἄγγελον ἄρχοντα διεπόντων ἐπίγεια πεπιστευμένων οὐρανοῖς διοικήσεις, αὐτὸν τεχνίτην δημιουργὸν ὅλων, οὐρανοὺς ἔκτισεν, θάλασσαν , ἐνέκλεισεν, μυστήρια πιστῶς φυλάσσει στοιχεῖα, παρ᾿ μέτρα ἡμέρας δρόμων ἥλιος εἴληφε φυλάσσειν, πειθαρχεῖ σελήνη νυκτὶ φαίνειν κελεύοντι, πειθαρχεῖ ἄστρα σελήνης ἀκολουθοῦντα δρόμῳ· διατέτακται διώρισται ὑποτέτακται, οὐρανοὶ οὐρανοῖς, γῆ γῇ, θάλασσα θαλάσσῃ, πῦρ, ἀήρ, ἄβυσσος, ὕψεσι, βάθεσι, μεταξύ· τοῦτον ἀπέστειλεν. But truly the Almighty Creator of the Universe, the Invisible God Himself from heaven planted among men the truth and the holy teaching which surpasses the wit of man, and fixed it firmly in their hearts, not as any man might imagine, by sending (to mankind) a subaltern, or angel, or ruler, or one of those who direct the affairs of earth, or one of those who have been entrusted with the dispensations in heaven, but the very Artificer and Creator of the Universe Himself, by Whom He made the heavens, by Whom He enclosed the sea in its proper bounds, Whose mysteries all the elements faithfully observe, from Whom [the sun] has received even the measure of the courses of the day to keep them, Whom the moon obeys as He bids her shine by night, Whom the stars obey as they follow the course of the moon, by Whom all things are ordered and bounded and placed in subjection, the heavens and the things that are in the heavens, the earth and the things that are in the earth, the sea and the things that are in the sea, fire, air, abyss, the things that are in the heights, the things that are in the depths, the things that are between the two. Him He sent unto them.
3 ἆρά γε, λογίσαιτο, τυραννίδι φόβῳ καταπλήξει; Was He sent, think you, as any man might suppose, to establish a sovereignty, to inspire fear and terror?
4  μὲν οὖν· ἐπιεικείᾳ πραΰτητι βασιλεὺς πέμπων υἱὸν βασιλέα ἔπεμψεν, ἔπεμψεν, ἔπεμψεν, σῴζων ἔπεμψεν, πείθων, βιαζόμενος· βία πρόσεστι . Not so. But in gentleness [and] meekness has He sent Him, as a king might send his son who is a king. He sent Him, as sending God; He sent Him, as [a man] unto men; He sent Him, as Saviour, as using persuasion, not force: for force is no attribute of God.
5 ἔπεμψεν , διώκων· ἔπεμψεν ἀγαπῶν, κρίνων. He sent Him, as summoning, not as persecuting; He sent Him, as loving, not as judging.
6 πέμψει αὐτὸν κρίνοντα, παρουσίαν ὑποστήσεται; . . . For He will send Him in judgment, and who shall endure His presence? ...
7 [ ὁρᾷς]. . .1 παραβαλλομένους θηρίοις, ἀρνήσωνται κύριον, νικωμένους; [Don't you see] them thrown to wild beasts that so they may deny the Lord, and yet not overcome?
8  ὁρᾷς, ὅσῳ πλείονες κολάζονται, τοσούτῳ πλεονάζοντας ἄλλους; Don't you see that the more of them are punished, just so many others abound?
9 ταῦτα ἀνθρώπου δοκεῖ ἔργα, ταῦτα δύναμίς · ταῦτα παρουσίας δείγματα. These look not like the works of a man; they are the power of God; they are proofs of His presence.

Chapter 8

1 Τίς ὅλως ἠπίστατο, τί ποτ᾿ ἐστὶ πρὶν αὐτὸν ; For what man at all had any knowledge what God was, before He came?
2  κενοὺς ληρώδεις ἐκείνων λόγους ἀποδέχῃ ἀξιοπίστων φιλοσόφων, τινες πῦρ ἔφασαν ( μέλλουσι χωρήσειν αὐτοί, καλοῦσι ), ὕδωρ, δ᾿ ἄλλο τι στοιχείων ἐκτισμένων ; Or do you accept the empty and nonsensical statements of those pretentious philosophers: of whom some said that God was fire (they call that God, whereunto they themselves shall go), and others water, and others some other of the elements which were created by God?
3 καίτοι γε, λόγων ἀποδεκτός , δύναιτ᾿ ἂν λοιπῶν κτισμάτων ἓν ἕκαστον ὁμοίως ἀποφαίνεσθαι . And yet if any of these statements is worthy of acceptance, any one other created thing might just as well be made out to be God.
4  ταῦτα τερατεία πλάνη γοήτων · No, all this is the quackery and deceit of the magicians;
5  οὐδεὶς οὔτε εἶδεν οὔτε ἐγνώρισεν, αὐτὸς ἐπέδειξεν. and no man has either seen or recognised Him, but He revealed Himself.
6 ἐπέδειξε , μόνῃ ἰδεῖν συγκεχώρηται. And He revealed (Himself) by faith, whereby alone it is given to see God.
7  δεσπότης δημιουργὸς ὅλων , ποιήσας τάξιν διακρίνας, μόνον φιλάνθρωπος ἐγένετο, μακρόθυμος. For God, the Master and Creator of the Universe, Who made all things and arranged them in order, was found to be not only friendly to men, but also long- suffering.
8  οὗτος ἦν ἔστι ἔσται, χρηστὸς ἀγαθὸς ἀόργητος , ἀγαθός · And such indeed He was always, and is, and will be, kindly and good and dispassionate and true, and He alone is good.
9 ἐννοήσας μεγάλην ἄφραστον ἔννοιαν ἀνεκοινώσατο παιδί. And having conceived a great and unutterable scheme He communicated it to His Son alone.
10  ὅσῳ μὲν κατεῖχεν μυστηρίῳ διετήρει σοφὴν βουλήν, ἀμελεῖν ἀφροντιστεῖν ἐδόκει· For so long as He kept and guarded His wise design as a mystery, He seemed to neglect us and to be careless about us.
11 ἐπεὶ ἀπεκάλυψε ἀγαπητοῦ παιδὸς ἐφανέρωσε ἀρχῆς ἡτοιμασμένα, πάνθ᾿ ἅμα παρέσχεν μετασχεῖν εὐεργεσιῶν ἰδεῖν νοῆσαι, ἂν πώποτε προσεδόκησεν ; But when He revealed it through His beloved Son, and manifested the purpose which He had prepared from the beginning, He gave us all these gifts at once, participation in His benefits, and sight and understanding of (mysteries) which none of us ever would have expected.

Chapter 9

1 Πάντ᾿ ἤδη παρ᾿ παιδὶ οἰκονομηκώς, μέχρι πρόσθεν χρόνου εἴασεν , ἐβουλόμεθα, ἀτάκτοις φοραῖς φέρεσθαι, ἀπαγομένους. πάντως ἐφηδόμενος ἁμαρτήμασιν , ἀνεχόμενος, οὐδὲ τότε ἀδικίας καιρῷ συνευδοκῶν, δικαιοσύνης δημιουργῶν, τότε χρόνῳ ἐλεγχθέντες ἰδίων ἀνάξιοι χρηστότητος ἀξιωθῶμεν, καθ᾿ ἑαυτοὺς φανερώσαντες ἀδύνατον εἰσελθεῖν βασιλείαν δυνάμει . Having thus planned everything already in His mind with His Son, He permitted us during the former time to be borne along by disorderly impulses as we desired, led astray by pleasures and lusts, not at all because He took delight in our sins, but because He bore with us, not because He approved of the past season of iniquity, but because He was creating the present season of righteousness, that, being convicted in the past time by our own deeds as unworthy of life, we might now be made deserving by the goodness of God, and having made clear our inability to enter into the kingdom of God of ourselves, might be enabled by the ability of God.
2 ἐπεὶ πεπλήρωτο ἡμετέρα ἀδικία τελείως πεφανέρωτο, μισθὸς αὐτῆς κόλασις θάνατος προσεδοκᾶτο, ἦλθε καιρός, ὃν προέθετο φανερῶσαι ἑαυτοῦ χρηστότητα ( ὑπερβαλλούσης φιλανθρωπίας ἀγάπης ), ἐμίσησεν οὐδὲ ἀπώσατο οὐδὲ ἐμνησικάκησεν, ἐμακροθύμησεν, ἠνέσχετο, ἐλεῶν αὐτὸς ἡμετέρας ἁμαρτίας ἀνεδέξατο, αὐτὸς ἴδιον υἱὸν ἀπέδοτο λύτρον , ἅγιον ὑπέρ ἀνόμων, ἄκακον κακῶν, ἀδίκων, ἄφθαρτον φθαρτῶν, ἀθάνατον θνητῶν. And when our iniquity had been fully accomplished, and it had been made perfectly manifest that punishment and death were expected as its recompense, and the season came which God had ordained, when henceforth He should manifest His goodness and power (O the exceeding great kindness and love of God), He hated us not, neither rejected us, nor bore us malice, but was long-suffering and patient, and in pity for us took upon Himself our sins, and Himself parted with His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy for the lawless, the guileless for the evil, the just for the unjust, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal.
3 τί ἄλλο ἁμαρτίας ἠδυνήθη καλύψαι ; For what else but His righteousness would have covered our sins?
4  τίνι δικαιωθῆναι δυνατὸν ἀνόμους ἀσεβεῖς υἱῷ ; In whom was it possible for us lawless and ungodly men to have been justified, except only in the Son of God?
5  γλυκείας ἀνταλλαγῆς, ἀνεξιχνιάστου δημιουργίας, ἀπροσδοκήτων εὐεργεσιῶν· ἀνομία δικαίῳ κρυβῇ, ἑνὸς πολλοὺς ἀνόμους δικαιώσῃ. O the sweet exchange, O the inscrutable creation, O the unexpected benefits; that the iniquity of many should be concealed in One Righteous Man, and the righteousness of One should justify many that are iniquitous!
6 ἐλέγξας πρόσθεν χρόνῳ ἀδύνατον ἡμετέρας ἡμετέρας φύσεως τυχεῖν , σωτῆρα δείξας δυνατὸν σῴζειν ἀδύνατα, ἀμφοτέρων ἐβουλήθη πιστεύειν χρηστότητι , αὐτὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τροφέα, , διδάσκαλον, σύμβουλον, ἰατρόν, νοῦν, φῶς, τιμήν, δόξαν, ἰσχύν, ζωήν, ἐνδύσεως τροφῆς μεριμνᾶν. Having then in the former time demonstrated the inability of our nature to obtain life, and having now revealed a Saviour able to save even creatures which have no ability, He willed that for both reasons we should believe in His goodness and should regard Him as nurse, father, teacher, counsellor, physician, mind, light, honour, glory, strength and life.

Chapter 10

1 Ταύτην σὺ ἐὰν ποθήσῃς, λάβῃς πρῶτον ἐπίγνωσιν . This faith if you also desirest, apprehend first full knowledge of the Father.
2  ἠγάπησε, οὓς ἐποίησε κόσμον, ὑπέταξε γῇ, , νοῦν, μόνοις ἄνω αὐτὸν ὁρᾶν ἐπέτρεψεν, οὓς ἰδίας εἰκόνος ἔπλασε, οὓς ἀπέστειλε υἱὸν μονογενῆ, οὐρανῷ βασιλείαν ἐπηγγείλατο, δώσει ἀγαπήσασιν αὐτόν. For God loved men for whose sake He made the world, to whom He subjected all things that are in the earth, to whom He gave reason and mind, whom alone He permitted to look up to heaven, whom He created after His own image, to whom He sent His only begotten Son, to whom He promised the kingdom which is in heaven, and will give it to those who have loved Him.
3 ἐπιγνοὺς τίνος οἴει πληρωθήσεσθαι χαρᾶς; πῶς ἀγαπήσεις οὕτως προαγαπήσαντά ; And when you had attained to this full knowledge, with what joy thinkest you that you wilt be filled, or how wilt you love Him that so loved you before?
4 ἀγαπήσας μιμητὴς ἔσῃ χρηστότητος. θαυμάσῃς, εἰ δύναται μιμητὴς ἄνθρωπος γενέσθαι δύναται θέλοντος . And loving Him you wilt be an imitator of His goodness. And marvel not that a man can be an imitator of God. He can, if God wills it.
5  καταδυναστεύειν οὐδὲ πλέον ἔχειν βούλεσθαι ἀσθενεστέρων οὐδὲ πλουτεῖν βιάζεσθαι ὑποδεεστέρους εὐδαιμονεῖν , οὐδὲ τούτοις δύναταί μιμήσασθαι , ταῦτα ἐκτὸς μεγαλειότητος. For happiness consists not in lordship over one's neighbours, nor in desiring to have more than weaker men, nor in possessing wealth and using force to inferiors; neither can any one imitate God in these matters; nay, these lie outside His greatness.
6  ὅστις ἀναδέχεται βάρος, κρείσσων ἕτερον ἐλαττούμενον εὐεργετεῖν ἐθέλει, λαβὼν ἔχει, ταῦτα ἐπιδεομένοις χορηγῶν γίνεται λαμβανόντων, οὗτος μιμητής . But whosoever takes upon himself the burden of his neighbour, whosoever desires to benefit one that is worse off in that in which he himself is superior, whosoever by supplying to those who are in want possessions which he received from God becomes a God to those who receive them from him, he is an imitator of God.
7 τότε θεάσῃ τυγχάνων γῆς, οὐρανοῖς πολιτεύεται, τότε μυστήρια λαλεῖν ἄρξῃ, τότε κολαζομένους θέλειν ἀρνήσασθαι ἀγαπήσεις θαυμάσεις· τότε ἀπάτης πλάνης καταγνώσῃ, ὅταν ἀληθῶς οὐρανῷ ζῆν ἐπιγνῷς, ὅταν δοκοῦντος ἐνθάδε θανάτου καταφρονήσῃς, ὅταν ὄντως θάνατον φοβηθῇς, φυλάσσεται κατακριθησομένοις πῦρ αἰώνιον, παραδοθέντας μέχρι κολάσει. Then, though you are placed on earth, you shall behold that God lives in heaven; then shall you begin to declare the mysteries of God; then shall you both love and admire those who are punished because they will not deny God; then shall you condemn the deceit and error of the world; when you shall perceive the true life which is in heaven, when you shall despise the apparent death which is here on earth, when you shall fear the real death, which is reserved for those who shall be condemned to the eternal fire that shall punish those delivered over to it unto the end.
8 τότε ὑπομένοντας δικαιοσύνης θαυμάσεις πῦρ πρόσκαιρον μακαρίσεις, ὅταν ἐκεῖνο πῦρ ἐπιγνῷς2 Then shall you admire those who endure for righteousness' sake the fire that is for a season, and shall count them blessed when you perceive that fire ... * * * * * *

Chapter 11

1 Οὐ ξένα ὁμιλῶ οὐδὲ παραλόγως ζητῶ, ἀποστόλων γενόμενος μαθητὴς γίνομαι διδάσκαλος ἐθνῶν· παραδοθέντα ὑπηρετῶ γινομένοις μαθηταῖς. Mine are no strange discourses nor perverse questionings, but having been a disciple of Apostles I come forward as a teacher of the Gentiles, ministering worthily to them, as they present themselves disciples of the truth, the lessons which have been handed down.
2  ὀρθῶς διδαχθεὶς προσφιλὴς γενηθεὶς ἐπιζητεῖ σαφῶς μαθεῖν δειχθέντα φανερῶς μαθηταῖς, φανείς, παρρησίᾳ λαλῶν, ἀπίστων νοούμενος, μαθηταῖς διηγούμενος, πιστοὶ λογισθέντες ὑπ᾿ ἔγνωσαν μυστήρια; For who that has been rightly taught and has entered into friendship with the Word does not seek to learn distinctly the lessons revealed openly by the Word to the disciples; to whom the Word appeared and declared them, speaking plainly, not perceived by the unbelieving, but relating them to disciples who being reckoned faithful by Him were taught the mysteries of the Father?
3  ἀπέστειλε λόγον, κόσμῳ φανῇ, λαοῦ ἀτιμασθείς, ἀποστόλων κηρυχθείς, ἐπιστεύθη. For which cause He sent forth the Word, that He might appear unto the world, Who being dishonoured by the people, and preached by the Apostles, was believed in by the Gentiles.
4 οὗτος ἀρχῆς, καινὸς φανεὶς παλαιὸς εὑρεθεὶς νέος καρδίαις γεννώμενος. This Word, Who was from the beginning, Who appeared as new and yet was proved to be old, and is engendered always young in the hearts of saints,
5 οὗτος ἀεί, σήμερον υἱὸς λογισθείς, πλουτίζεται ἐκκλησία ἁπλουμένη πληθύνεται, παρέχουσα νοῦν, φανεροῦσα μυστήρια, διαγγέλλουσα καιρούς, χαίρουσα πιστοῖς, ἐπιζητοῦσι δωρουμένη, ὅρκια θραύεται οὐδὲ ὅρια πατέρων παρορίζεται. He, I say, Who is eternal, Who to-day was accounted a Son, through Whom the Church is enriched and grace is unfolded and multiplied among the saints, grace which confers understanding, which reveals mysteries, which announces seasons, which rejoices over the faithful, which is bestowed upon those who seek her, even those by whom the pledges of faith are not broken, nor the boundaries of the fathers overstepped.
6 εἶτα φόβος νόμου ᾄδεται, προφητῶν γινώσκεται, εὐαγγελίων πίστις ἵδρυται, ἀποστόλων παράδοσις φυλάσσεται, σκιρτᾷ. Whereupon the fear of the law is sung, and the grace of the prophets is recognised, and the faith of the gospels is established, and the tradition of the apostles is preserved, and the joy of the Church exults.
7  λυπῶν ἐπιγνώσῃ, ὁμιλεῖ βούλεται, θέλει. If you grieve not this grace, you shall understand the discourses which the Word holds by the mouth of those whom He desires when He wishes.
8  θελήματι κελεύοντος ἐκινήθημεν ἐξειπεῖν πόνου, ἀγάπης ἀποκαλυφθέντων γινόμεθα κοινωνοί. For in all things, that by the will of the commanding Word we were moved to utter with much pains, we become sharers with you, through love of the things revealed unto us.

Chapter 12

1  ἐντυχόντες ἀκούσαντες σπουδῆς εἴσεσθε, παρέχει ἀγαπῶσιν ὀρθῶς, γενόμενοι παράδεισος τρυφῆς, πάγκαρπον ξύλον εὐθαλοῦν ἀνατείλαντες , ποικίλοις καρποῖς κεκοσμημένοι. Confronted with these truths and listening to them with attention, you shall know how much God bestows on those who love (Him) rightly, who become a Paradise of delight, a tree bearing all manner of fruits and flourishing, growing up in themselves and adorned with various fruits.
2  τούτῳ χωρίῳ ξύλον γνώσεως ξύλον πεφύτευται· γνώσεως ἀναιρεῖ, παρακοὴ ἀναιρεῖ. For in this garden a tree of knowledge and a tree of life has been planted; yet the tree of knowledge does not kill, but disobedience kills;
3 οὐδὲ ἄσημα γεγραμμένα, ἀρχῆς ξύλον γνώσεως ξύλον μέσῳ παραδείσου ἐφύτευσε, γνώσεως ζωὴν ἐπιδεικνύς· καθαρῶς χρησάμενοι ἀρχῆς πλάνῃ ὄφεως γεγύμνωνται. for the scriptures state clearly how God from the beginning planted a tree [of knowledge and a tree] of life in the midst of Paradise, revealing life through knowledge; and because our first parents used it not genuinely they were made naked by the deceit of the serpent.
4 οὐδὲ ζωὴ ἄνευ γνώσεως οὐδὲ γνῶσις ἀσφαλὴς ἄνευ ἀληθοῦς· διὸ ἑκάτερον πεφύτευται. For neither is there life without knowledge, nor sound knowledge without true life; therefore the one (tree) is planted near the other.
5  ἐνιδὼν τήν ἄνευ προστάγματος ζωὴν ἀσκουμένην γνῶσιν μεμφόμενος · γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ. Discerning the force of this and blaming the knowledge which is exercised apart from the truth of the injunction which leads to life, the apostle says, Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.
6  νομίζων τι ἄνευ γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς μαρτυρουμένης , ὄφεως πλανᾶται, ἀγαπήσας ζῆν. φόβου ἐπιγνοὺς ζωὴν ἐπιζητῶν φυτεύει, καρπὸν προσδοκῶν. For the man who supposes that he knows anything without the true knowledge which is testified by the life, is ignorant, he is deceived by the serpent, because he loved not life; whereas he who with fear recognises and desires life plants in hope expecting fruit.
7 ἤτω σοί καρδία γνῶσις, ζωὴ , χωρούμενος. Let your heart be knowledge, and your life true reason, duly comprehended.
8  ξύλον φέρων καρπὸν αἱρῶν τρυγήσεις ποθούμενα, ὄφις ἅπτεται οὐδὲ πλάνη συγχρωτίζεται· οὐδὲ Εὔα φθείρεται, παρθένος πιστεύεται· Whereof if you bear the tree and pluck the fruit, you shall ever gather the harvest which God looks for, which serpent touches not, nor deceit infects, neither is Eve corrupted, but is believed on as a virgin,
9  σωτήριον δείκνυται, ἀπόστολοι συνετίζονται, πάσχα προέρχεται, καιροὶ συνάγονται ἁρμόζονται, διδάσκων εὐφραίνεται, πατὴρ δοξάζεται· . . and salvation is set forth, and the apostles are filled with understanding, and the passover of the Lord goes forward, and the congregations are gathered together, and [all things] are arranged in order, and as He teaches the saints the Word is gladdened, through Whom the Father is glorified, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.